Kargahar Election Results 2025 Highlights: Congress looks to retain narrow edge as Ritesh Pandey adds star power to triangular fight

NEW DELHI: As counting begins at 8am today, all eyes are on Kargahar Assembly constituency in Rohtas district, where the Congress is defending a slender victory margin amid a four-way contest this time. Sitting MLA Santosh Kumar Mishra (INC) is seeking to retain the seat he won in 2020, facing a renewed challenge from JD(U)’s Bashisth Singh and Jan Suraaj’s Ritesh Ranjan Pandey, the Bhojpuri singer-actor making his political debut.

It alos sees a friendly fight between MGB partners INC and CPI, with left candidate Mahendra Prasad Gupta also in fray.The entry of Pandey has turned the contest into one of the most closely watched battles in southwest Bihar, bringing a mix of traditional party loyalties and celebrity appeal.

In 2020, Santosh Kumar Mishra of the Indian National Congress secured victory with 59,763 votes (30.76 per cent) defeating Bashisth Singh of the Janata Dal (United) who secured 55,680 votes (≈28.66 per cent) - a margin of 4,083 votes. Historically, the JD(U) had held the seat since its creation post-2008 delimitation: Ram Dhani Singh (JD(U)) won in 2010 and Bashisth Singh (JD(U)) in 2015 before the Congress breakthrough in 2020. With roughly 20.4 per cent of the electorate from Scheduled Castes and around 6.4 per cent Muslim voters, the constituency remains entirely rural, and caste equations are considered critical. Political analysts are watching Kargahar closely this year because of the slim winning margin in 2020 and an emerging triangular contest in 2025.

The result will indicate whether Congress can consolidate its hold or if JD(U) and its allies can reclaim the seat.The vote share of other major candidates in 2020 included Uday Pratap Singh (BSP) with 47,321 votes (24.35 per cent) and others trailing behind. As counting starts this morning, Kargahar’s outcome will be among the early indicators of how party-waves and local dynamics are shaping up ahead of broader results across Bihar.